


Faun-Filled Pranks

by xT_Zealot



Category: RWBY
Genre: 'Nuff said, Cat Pranks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2014-08-11
Packaged: 2018-02-12 15:56:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2115903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xT_Zealot/pseuds/xT_Zealot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It had taken Weiss twelve hours in order to get over Blake's past. Yang needed much less time than that to accept her faunus heritage...much to Blake's growing displeasure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Faun-Filled Pranks

**Author's Note:**

> You can probably guess when this was written. Editing and uploading my old fics has made me realize just how much I tend to torture Blake.

"So it's a date then?" Blake questioned as she laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

The faunus wasn't too sure if it was her use of the word 'date' or the hand she placed on her but a shade of pinky embarrassment colored Velvet's face which lowered a fraction, nervous brown eyes directing themselves to the floor. On top of her head, those brown bunny ears flopped forward in uncertainty.

She seemed to find her resolve after a couple seconds of hesitation with how those ears soon sprung back up. Lifting her gaze to meet Blake's own, Velvet nodded her head. While her face was still pink, a full, genuine smile spread across her face. "Sure!"

On top of her head and in plain sight, Blake's cat ears twitched with the same delight that could be found in her own smile. Although she still tended to wear her bow as a habit, for this Blake had decided that it would be more appropriate to keep her ears exposed if to help get past her fellow faunus's shy behavior.

It had certainly gotten Velvet's attention when Blake first approached her. Although it had been a couple days since Blake had revealed her faunus heritage, it had yet to get around through the rest of the student population in Beacon. Again, this was mostly due to the fact that she kept her bow. JNPR knew of course but when Velvet had turned – after a panicked squeak and small jump upon hearing someone call her name right behind her – she had been quite stunned to see the usually quiet and mysterious Blake sporting a pair of cat ears.

She was even more surprised when Blake invited her to Team RWBY's dorm for an evening study group session. Although the Vytal Festival was right around the corner, the various Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training would first have to get through the exam season in order to focus their full attention upon the tournament and other activities. It had been Pyrrha's idea to form a study group for Professor Oobleck's history class as various members of both RWBY and JNPR were attending it…with one or two perhaps needing a bit of extra help (Jaune).

They all agreed but it had been Blake who suggested inviting Velvet. No one had been opposed to it which cheered the cat faunus. Although her ties with the White Fang had been severed a long time ago, she nonetheless remembered what the organization once stood for in its efforts to see both human and faunus as equals. The willingness of her friends and teammates to accept a faunus that wasn't part of their respective groups brought back that spark of optimism of her youth that was previously crushed.

The sight now presented before her served to bring a bit more joy to her heart. After exchanging farewells, Velvet had turned to head off to her next class. However, instead of a lowered head and ears that presented an image of her wanting nothing more than to remain a speck in the eyes of her fellow students, Velvet's chin was now raised just a fraction higher than normal with her ears standing high above her head.

_This is good_ , Blake thought gladly. _Isn't it?_

Ever since she turned her back that day on the train she had wondered if this new life she had chosen was really worth it. Right here, right now, she could say that it was. Finding her own steps to be light and bouncy, Blake turned to walk the opposite direction of Velvet.

Today was going extraordinarily well. Between her team's acceptance of her heritage, the upcoming Vytal Festival which she will enjoy with said team to her heart's content, Velvet's agreement to the study group, and this precious new book that she now dug for in her bag, Blake couldn't even remember a time where she could say she had been happier. A look at her watch told her she still had twenty minutes. Perfect. She exited the main campus building with a destination already in mind.

As if to mimic her brightened attitude, the onset of spring provided a warm and sunny day with the faunus uttering a pleasant purr as she basked in the sun's rays. It was a perfect day indeed.

Her chosen spot turned out to be within the Beacon courtyard where the school's iconic statue dominated the cobblestone paths while lilies floated atop ponds of crystal clear water. Here she could best experience the smells, sights, and sensations that the primetime of spring provided. With a stone bench in her sight, Blake pulled her book from her bag to open to the first page where she would start another journey of words and the fantasies that they could construct in the reader's mind.

Well that was until Blake caught the scent. Mixed in with the fragrance of lilies and the other flora that bloomed within the pleasant embrace of spring was another odor. Actually, to say that it was mixed in was a horrible understatement; it was overpowering.

And yet it caused Blake – as well as her ears - to immediately stand to attention. Her head turning left and right, she sniffed at the air in order to track down this absolutely succulent odor that had decided to grace her nose. It was very familiar as was its effects such as her mouth that was starting to water.

_Where are you?_ Her plan for a relaxing read was put on hold for clearly she could do no such thing when she knew that _it_ was around. Especially when she discovered that it was fresh after she made another investigative sniff.

She looked around the courtyard but found that there was no one other than her. She would have to trust her sharp eyesight on that one because as long as this scent occupied her nostrils it was difficult to even attempt to sniff out the presence of another individual.

_Sniff sniff._

Blake's amber eyes focused on the statue; of the Huntsman and Huntress that stood on a rocky outcropping high above the stone Beowolf that had been carved beneath them. It was there. Blake dropped her book back into her bag as she needed both arms to climb onto the shoulders of the Beowolf in order to reach where the two individuals stood on their pedestal. Poking her head just high enough to peer over the edge of the outcropping, Blake examined the feet of the Huntsman where the scent was at its strongest.

There: right behind the left foot where it would be cleverly hidden from any passing students or professors. Without a second's thought Blake snatched the item before allowing herself to slide off the Beowolf's shoulders. When she had her feet back on the cobblestone path she inspected her prize. There was only one thing that could possibly possess such a pungent smell and the small picture of a fish stamped on the side of the can confirmed it.

_Tuna!_ Blake recognized, suddenly giddy. This close the aroma was absolutely heavenly with the reason it being so strong was because the can had been partially opened.

Of course, such a mysterious appearance of a can of tuna at such unusual of a place did not go without suspicion. Curious, the faunus again examined the courtyard only to find, yet again, that she was alone. There were plenty of trees, light poles, and other places where a person could easily hide even to her impressive eyesight but her sense of smell that would've allowed her to locate those hidden from her view was currently occupied.

_Was this someone's?_ she questioned silently. If so, why would someone place it upon the statue? Had they been hiding it so that no one else could take it? There had been no fork or spoon left behind so maybe the person had left it behind to go to the cafeteria to grab some eating utensils? It was a weak theory especially since a Hunter – even if a student – could probably handle the challenge of just carrying the can of tuna with them to the cafeteria.

To Blake, there was certainly something wrong about this situation. Buuut…

The faunus pried open the lid just a bit more to expose the delicious morsel within. She had sampled plenty of tuna and she knew a fine, canned specimen when she saw one. It would be such a shame to just let it sit there under the sun and let it spoil…

Unconsciously bringing the can protectively against her chest, Blake looked to her left…then to her right. Nope, still no one around.

Well it was their fault for just leaving it behind. If they didn't want anyone to eat it they shouldn't have left it unguarded! That was all the reasoning that Blake needed to justify her next course of action. The lack of a fork did nothing to deter her as, after prying the lid fully off, Blake brought the now open can to her mouth and began to munch.

_Delicious!_ she complimented, biting and licking up what tuna she could as she happily ate. Unable to help herself, there came the audible sound of _nyum nyum nyumming_ as she enjoyed her meal.

With her nose and mouth currently buried in tuna with her eyes closed in bliss, Blake failed to notice the presence that snuck up behind her.

"Enjoying yourself there, Blake?"

Blake's eyes snapped open while her body froze in response to this intrusion. With a slow, hesitant gulp as she swallowed the tuna that was currently gathered in her mouth, the faunus turned around to see the smirking Yang Xiao Long behind her. Her eyes glanced down at the now half full can that she still had in her hand, then back at her partner. A connection was made.

"You…" Her cheeks burning, Blake's eyes glared into the mirthful lilac ones of her partner.

"Yeeesss?" Yang questioned, the smirk not even lessening an inch while she tilted her head to one side.

Not saying another word, Blake turned fully around to properly face her partner. Then with quick, stiff steps, the faunus stepped past her but not without shoving the can of tuna into the blonde's hands.

Despite the less-than-gentle handling of the tuna, Yang simply stood there, eyes closing in anticipation as she listened to the retreating steps of her partner…before they stopped entirely. Without even looking, Yang extended her hand and tuna off to her side.

After a brief moment Blake returned and snatched the can from Yang's hand.

"Fiend," she declared. Any menace that she wished to convey both verbally and with facial gestures was futile when her tongue briefly slid out to lick up a speck of tuna that still clung to her cheek.

Not that it really mattered for Yang's eyes were now tightly shut while her body shook with barely-contained laughter.

Blake will at least give Yang some credit for controlling herself until she was out of earshot. Unfortunately, Yang had been going by the limits of human hearing for even after she left the courtyard, Blake's cat ears perked up at the sound of the blonde's cheer when she let loose.

As angry as she probably should be, the thought of having received a can of tuna only at the expense of some brief embarrassment helped cool any such offence she should be feeling at her partner's prank. Besides, she assured herself that it was just one innocent joke that Yang – ever the prankster – needed to unleash from time to time. While her target tended to be Weiss, Blake concluded that her growing openness to her teammates had given Yang an all-clear signal to turn her into a target for her occasional amusement.

That was all that was. Surely Yang wouldn't take advantage of this and just restrict herself to that one prank at least for today. Hopefully she would refrain from anymore jokes until the exams were done and forgotten.

With all the months that they've spent as partners, Blake should've known the blonde better than that.

* * *

Blake actually ended up thanking Yang by the time lunch came around. With the consumption of the tuna, her appetite had been mostly settled to the point where snagging a quick snack in the cafeteria had been enough for her to fill her stomach while she made her way back to her team's dorm. With an hour long lunch break and she having only spent five minutes in the cafeteria – barely enough for brief greetings with her teammates -, Blake still had most of that hour to read.

This was not her being rude. In fact, this was a common ritual whenever Blake purchased a new novel that caught her eye in the various bookstores scattered throughout the city. When you add in the stress of exams and preparations for the Vytal Festival, Blake's desire for a quiet place to read became paramount. She could trust that her friends had not been slighted by her lack of presence as they should've become accustomed to this by now.

When she tapped her scroll against the door there was an audible _click_ as a silent signal was transmitted from the scroll to the lock which disengaged. Her way clear, Blake opened the door to the peaceful sanctum of her dorm. Instead of a cafeteria filled with the noise of chattering students and uncomfortable bench seats was a silent room with a comfortable bunk for her to relax and read on.

A relieved sigh was issued from Blake's lips while her fingers released her bag to drop it to the floor. Soon she was resting on top of her bunk, her back propped against the headboard with her novel open on her raised knee. A quick flip of the page and she finally began.

_**"When I had relinquished control of this body it had been with a promise…nay; it had been with a warning that it would not last."** _

**Outwardly the vessel of blood, bone, and flesh worked as any other mortal body would when it required the wasting of precious hours for sleep. With each inhalation the lungs expanded, forcing the chest to rise before the following exhalation lowered it back down. In between was the exchange of gases as the body took what it needed before expelling what it did not. It was a calm, rhythmic function.**

**The soul that resided within was far from calm. When it had claimed its vessel it had decided to give itself a mortal name: Aiden. But along with the name was the warning that this second entity so cruelly reminded him of. Upon hearing it Aiden quivered within his fleshy receptacle, the cold words acting as the harbingers for the reckoning that his temporary victory had guaranteed would come for him.**

**And the other who had taken on the name Krieg had come to resume the war that his namesake promised when they first battled for everlasting control of this body.**

_**"I had allowed you this reprieve only so that I may experience the joy of taking it from you. The comforts that you have indulged in were without meaning as my eventual return loomed over you. My mercy was your torment."** _

**The dark chuckle was without pity or warmth. Had the supernatural possessed such ease to affect reality, Aiden assumed that such an unpleasant sound alone would have instantly frozen the life fluids of his valued container.**

" _ **Never fear my opposite, for I have returned to grant you the peace of complete and utter obli-"**_

Blake stopped. Having caught movement at the corner of her eye, she whipped her head around, her cat ears high and alert as she had only moments ago been certain that she was alone. However, upon looking towards the floor where she thought it came from, there was nothing but the hard wood and carpet.

Chalking it up as her imagination, Blake returned to her book to continue reading before she suddenly dropped it, her pupils dilating as she stared at the end of her bed.

"My old nemesis," she growled. "We meet again."

The mischievous fiend was practically dancing upon her blankets. It said nothing but Blake knew this challenger well enough that its movements were practically shouting, "I mock thee!"

They went a long way back. From the darkest alley to even the latest sanctuary that White Fang had chosen as their base, somehow it would always find her. Each time they would stumble upon one another – or, rather, it would stumble upon her -, they would continue this little game that they had started since…well, Blake couldn't even remember when or why it started. All she knew was that whenever it appeared she had an undeniable urge to play.

She had never won. To be fair, it can't really be said that it had ever won either. Whenever they met in conflict they would keep going until a quiet understanding passed between the two of them and they would part ways if only to meet again. Such future appointments tended to occur after something as short as days to as long as months. The last time they had engaged one another had to have been a year by now.

Apparently it had found her once again and by its mocking movements it desired to continue their game even after all this time.

It jerked towards her bare feet and Blake reflexively pulled them closer to her body. Her eyes narrowed. "Your persistence is admirable. Do you really wish to mark our reunion with yet another match?"

The red devil shook as if challenging her with, "Come at me, feline!"

"Very well."

Despite her acceptance of the challenge, Blake did not attack right away. In fact, she did the complete opposite as she stayed very still. She actually had a hand clutching her novel which remained half-raised towards her face upon the discovery of the intruder, the pages open but the words currently uninteresting. The seconds ticked by…

The book fell from her hands, tumbling towards the mattress. By the time it landed Blake had already lunged forwards, her hands lashing out to grab her opponent. Unfortunately, just like her book, she only grasped cloth. She was not surprised; such an opening move had never worked before.

What had to be a foot away from her clenched fingers, her enemy did a little jig to convey, "You missed!"

Her right hand shot towards it to pin it to her bunk only to fail again. Even with the time that passed since their last meeting it seemed that its speed had not lessened in the slightest. That was fine as Blake would've been disappointed had this proven to be too easy.

Dancing just out of reach of her hold, the red dot sped off from her bed to the floor.

_Come back here you!_

Blake didn't even hesitate to launch herself from her mattress in pursuit. Landing on all fours, those amber orbs searched for a second before spotting the miniscule form of her tormentor. Using the power contained in all four limbs she jumped again in an attempt to use her much larger body to pound it into the ground.

She thought she had it. A second before her impact she had seen the red color eclipsed by her shadow and was certain that it wouldn't be able to get out of the way fast enough.

Lying on her stomach, the satisfaction that Blake felt was replaced with disbelief as her surprised gaze fell upon the ever-dancing red dot that was now two yards ahead of her. Picking herself up, she again pursued it.

The red dot juked left as if attempting to get around her. She would not let it. Intending to prove that she was much faster and far more nimble, Blake followed it. The dot moved around and around and around but Blake was right on its non-existent tail as she also moved around and around..and around…and around…

She lost count as to how many times she spun around in place. The only reason she stopped was when she could no longer handle the dizziness that caused her to stumble.

Blake was not ashamed of herself for falling for the trap but rather because even after all this time she continued to fall for it. She could match it in speed but its constitution in such dizzying maneuvers was something she had no hope of competing with. As she sat there, seeking to still her spinning vision and holding back the urge to puke up her lunch - tuna and all -, Blake felt utterly foolish.

Until she spotted her opponent again, hovering at about eye level. Acting sooner then she probably should, Blake once again leapt-

-right into the wall.

Her vision spun for an entirely different reason this time. Holding her hands against her throbbing forehead, Blake rolled over onto her back, groaning with pain. It appeared that, in her haste to continue, she had failed to realize what, exactly, would happen when uncontrolled momentum met an object that was much more solid and sturdier than her. Even if her enemy had seemed stuck upon the wall, she should've known better.

Her misfortune took a back seat when she became very aware of roaring laughter originating from overhead.

This time she let herself recover even with the dreaded suspicion and growing humiliation that the laughter induced. By the time she looked up she had a feeling as to what she would find. Make that _who_ she would find.

Directly over Weiss's bunk was Ruby's. Hanging precariously with the use of very _very_ strong and hastily tied rope, the bed swung in response to the movements of the current occupant. With the equally improvised curtains that hung with the use of even more rope, it was difficult for Blake to see who it was to confirm her suspicions. It didn't take long for her to figure that there was only one person who possessed that mass of golden hair.

"Yang!"

Her partner tried to control her laughter upon hearing her name only to do a horrible job at it. Nonetheless, she slowly made her way to the edge of Ruby's bed, parting the curtains to expose her flushed and wet face.

"Oh man!" she cried, wiping at her face to remove the visible traces of her humor. "It really isn't just the ears you inherited!"

Even with the tuna prank, Blake had greeted her partner when she spotted the rest of Team RWBY in the cafeteria. What the faunus could assume was that Yang, knowing her teammate much too well when it came to her hobby, had made a hasty retreat out of the cafeteria in order to get to their dorm before she did. Then, like a sniper, she had selected the perfect vantage point and camouflage to lie in wait for her intended target to wander in.

And just like a sniper she came equipped with her own laser pointer that was still clutched within her hand.

For the second time this day hot blood rushed towards Blake's face to burn her cheeks. Whether it was due to embarrassment or anger she wasn't sure as both emotions fought against one another to establish dominance. With that internal battle underway, Blake decided to just glare at Yang until a victor was decided to advise her on how to retaliate.

Yang decided to take matters into her own hands. She clicked the laser pointer back on.

The red dot appeared on the wall near Blake's head. Without thinking she slapped at it and soon it wasn't just her head that was painfully throbbing.

* * *

"I don't get it," Weiss confessed.

"What's not to get?" Ruby questioned.

With their lunch break having ended long ago, the two Huntresses-in-training were well into the second half of the school day which would consist mostly of combat classes. Books and classrooms shall be substituted with arenas for duels and weapon training that would do well to exhaust the trainees to better allow them to give up peacefully when their beds eventually called for them.

To Weiss's dismay, her team leader had decided to spend their journey to such a lesson with chatter of concepts that she failed to wrap her head around.

"They're supposed to be challenges!" Ruby tried to explain. "When you complete them you get points that go to your score! That's why they're called achievements: you're supposed to be _achieving_ them in order to get points!"

Weiss's hand audibly met her forehead. "No, you dunce! That I understand! What I _don't_ understand is the entire reason behind them! Why do you want to complete these so-called achievements?"

"For points!"

Weiss sighed in frustration. Removing her hand from her head, she happened to do so just in time to see Blake about to walk by them. After giving her a nod, Weiss brought her attention back to her partner. "No, I mean…" How to explain this to such a simple mind? "…What is the point behind the points? Do you turn them in for a reward?"

"Reward?" As if pondering the thought for the first time, Ruby became silent. "…The satisfying sense of accomplishment isn't reward enough?"

"To spend so long on such a meaningless form of entertainment? No. Besides, you're studying to become a Huntress! Isn't completing _that_ achievement more important?"

"But Weiss!" Ruby insisted. "We need four people! The achievement states that we need four players and we have to complete the last level on the highest difficulty! And with Iron we have to reload back to the previous checkpoint if even one of us dies! We aren't even allowed to use the best vehicles!"

"Why me then? Surely you can find someone else in JNPR. I'm positive Jaune or Nora would be thrilled to partake in such pointless challenges that reward essentially nothing for your wasted efforts."

"Because we need to achieve it as Team RWBY!" The cloaked girl held the door open for Weiss to pass through. "And I can't do it without my best teammate!"

The warm sensation threatened to melt her icy exterior from the inside. Fighting against it, Weiss attempted to retort that that reason could only work so many times before it got old. She didn't get a chance to start before she was driven to the floor.

The door slipping through limp fingers, Ruby looked very much confused at what she saw. "Blake?"

"Blake!" Weiss screeched. "What are you doing!?"

The faunus's reply was rather odd. "I don't know, help me!"

Then again the whole sight was rather odd. With Blake's weight keeping her pinned to the floor, Weiss was having a difficult time in squirming out and away from her. The task was made even more difficult with how Blake was gripping the heiress's jacket. Actually not just gripping; she was practically burying herself within the material. She was rubbing her cheek against it, biting it, and even…licking it?

Fortunately for the white-haired girl, it was Blake's focus on the jacket and not her that allowed her to pull away from the faunus although it meant abandoning the article of clothing. Scrambling back to her feet, the jacketless heiress rushed over to hide behind Ruby to the point where she gripped her shoulders in order to better position the fifteen-year-old between her and Blake.

Both girls stared in complete astonishment at their raven-haired teammate.

With the pale blue jacket lacking an owner, Blake was free to smother herself with it. Rolling around on the floor as if to wrap it around her, the faunus purred delightfully. She pressed her face against the material, inhaling deeply. Half of the Schnee crest became lost in between her teeth when she resumed chewing on it.

_Oooh, what's going on?_ Blake thought to herself, her mind unusually hazy. She had no idea why she was doing this as Weiss had always worn this jacket during the months they've worked with one another. Never had she felt this irresistible attraction to it as she did now.

There was something about the smell. Beneath the vanilla scent of Weiss Schnee was another aroma that tickled at the pleasure centers of the faunus. It excited her. What was this wonderful scent? She desired to roll around in it, attempt to breathe it in, consume it, whatever she had to do in order to maintain this state of euphoria.

"Blake!" The snap in Ruby's tone, while rare, did not discourage her from indulging herself.

The unexpected spray of water that drenched her face, on the other hand, did. Blake looked up at her team leader. _What the…?_

Ruby sprayed again.

With a hiss, Blake jerked her head away from the jacket, her hands releasing it so that they may be used to paw at her face in an attempt to dry it. Another squirt of liquid attacked her and, with a squeak, Blake retreated in an attempt to distance herself from this cold, wet sensation that offended her so.

It was only with a fourth and final salvo from the spray bottle that Ruby held in her hand that the leader felt Blake had enough. Under the cover of her partner, Weiss snatched her jacket it to hold it close to her chest where she inspected the damage.

"This is dry clean only!" she despaired when she saw the mix of water and drool.

"Blake, what's gotten into you?" Ruby asked, the nozzle of her weapon remaining pointed at the faunus.

Blake didn't reply right away as she was currently focused on wiping away the rest of the droplets. Removing the immediate problem, however, brought up the previous one when that addicting scent came back to the forefront.

"I don't know!" Blake insisted, her cat ears twitching with uncertainty. "I just want to…to…" Her gaze gradually moved back towards the heiress who scooted back behind the protection of her leader in reply. Blake pointed a shaky finger towards the focus of her desires. "Can I just…hold that for...for…ever?"

Ruby squeezed the trigger, another jet of water flying from the nozzle. This time she let it land short but the threat was enough for Blake to regain some control over herself. She did not want to get another helping from that dreadful weapon.

Speaking of which…

"Ruby, why do you even have that?"

"This?" The threatening expression that the younger girl had on her face melted into curiosity as her silver eyes turned to the weapon. Almost as if _she_ was unsure as to why she had it. "I don't know. Yang just said to hold onto it just in case."

"Just in case…?" Blake repeated slowly. Battling against the remaining influence that the jacket had exerted over her, Blake regained her wits enough to suspect what was _really_ happening. A sniff at the air told her enough. Along with Weiss's vanilla flavoring and Ruby's rosy fragrance was a third, leathery scent. Blake whipped her head around.

"Come on, you can't really be mad at me this time," Yang spoke, stepping around the corner of an adjacent hallway so that she was in full view of Team RWBY. Standing proudly with hands upon her hips, the blonde continued with, "At least with this prank it was all in the name of _achieving_ a better relationship between you and Weiss. Am I right?'

Her smug face was soon soaked when Ruby turned the spray bottle upon her own sister.

* * *

"So are you really still mad at me?"

"Let me think…" Blake considered, tapping her chin. "You lured me with tuna, made me run around chasing my neme- _a red dot_ , and you drugged me by spraying catnip on Weiss's jacket."

"To be fair," Yang spoke, "you seemed pretty happy with the tuna. And you seemed _really_ happy with the catnip."

"You're forgetting the library."

Oh the library. After the effects of the catnip had worn off, Blake was free to attend her remaining classes in relative peace and quiet with Yang having made no further attempts at pranking her. After the wet bombardment provided by Ruby and the vicious tongue-lashing from Weiss, Blake hoped that it had been enough for Yang to consider that she had done plenty for the day.

To give one point in Yang's favor, it did seem as if Weiss and Blake had been drawn a bit closer now that they had a common enemy. It was relatively easy for them to cooperate and establish that Yang would be expelled from Team RWBY's dorm when they would start their evening study group.

It was the upcoming session that brought Blake to the library to check out some books that may assist them in their history studies, as well as some private reading time. Once she obtained the list of texts, Blake had decided to remain in the sweet, silent solace that the library provided to finally indulge in her novel both for her enjoyment and to kill time until the designated meet-up point. She thought that she would be safe within her sanctum.

Yang was rather dead set on proving her wrong for the entirety of the day.

Something soft and fuzzy ended up brushing against Blake's leg beneath the table. As surprised as she was at the touch, nothing shocked her more than when she looked down and saw the brown, furry rat that had taken off as soon as the faunus spotted it. As the multitude of previous examples proved, Blake was helpless when her hunting instincts took over. A rather hectic chase ensued.

Long story short, tables and chairs were knocked over, pedestrians were violently pushed aside, all so that Blake could pursue her prey. And when she had barreled through the library doors and pounced upon the rat, she soon discovered it had been a fake when her fangs ripped open its middle and wads of cotton were thrown into her face.

The real kicker was that the rat was attached to a string…of a fishing pole…with Yang at the end wearing her aviator shades and a cap appropriate for the occasion. And that smirk.

The only reason that Blake had not been banned from the library was that the librarian knew her well enough. Those months of silent readings, returning books on time, and even placing borrowed books _exactly_ where they belonged - by author's last name for books of fiction, category for non-fiction - paid off in the form of a week's suspension. It also helped that the librarian also knew Yang by her reputation.

"You know your tone seems to be much calmer compared to when you attempted to bash my brains out with an encyclopedia," Yang noted, one hand rubbing the top of her head where Blake had struck her.

"You deserved it," Blake replied without hesitation, casually flipping to the next page of her novel. "Although, I will admit that giving into such violence had been rather unbecoming of me. Fortunately it seems that I had just been so unbelievably enraged that I came full circle and decided that once was enough." She turned towards Yang, her lips forming a pitiless grin. "As well as the plotting on how I'm going to get you back that made me feel better."

Yang chuckled nervously, admittedly unnerved by the dark grin.

As an added mercy, the librarian had allowed Blake to take the books she checked out with her. They were now resting on top of her bookshelf, piled on one another for the moment until the group would have need of their printed wisdom. Blake figured that she could ask Weiss or one of the others to return them when they were due.

All that was really left to do was to wait. Weiss had an extra credit assignment that she should be turning in and Pyrrha, after dropping off an arrangement of fruits and vegetables to provide for the study group, was killing time with her own promise of giving Jaune extra combat lessons. Blake didn't know anything about Velvet's schedule but hoped that she would be here on time. Right now it was just her and her partner.

Yang was on her knees, her elbows planted at the edge of Blake's bunk with her chin resting in her palms. _Finally_ it seemed that Yang had gotten the hint as all the blonde was really doing was engaging in idle chit-chat before she would be unceremoniously kicked out once Weiss and the others arrived. It left Blake free to - at last - enjoy her novel as she lied back on her bunk.

Maybe it was because Yang wished to prevent the payback that Blake was currently planning or, at the very least, lessen its severity as her features and tone shifted to become soft and gentle. "I suppose some of them were a _bit_ much…"

Blake snorted.

"And I'm sorry!" Yang apologized. Her lilac eyes looked up imploringly at Blake, begging her to listen. "It's just that…we've been partners for months and I can't really say that I know that much about you. A week ago was really the only point I can say where you said anything about yourself which…was really an accident."

At that Blake paused. While her gaze was directed towards her book, her attention currently wasn't there.

She grudgingly admitted that her partner spoke the truth. They _have_ been partners for quite some time now yet it had only been Yang who had been so willing to share her memories and her life with her faunus partner. At the top of her head Blake could list the brawler's favorite color, food, the combat school she attended before Beacon, the names of her parents, and every embarrassing story that she possessed concerning one Ruby Rose.

Blake Belladonna? As she had stated to Sun Wukong, her life had all been about an organization that everyone both hated and feared. While she could say that she had once been proud of the previously noble ideals of the White Fang, their reputation had become drenched in blood. Today they were considered as a cult for lunatics. That had definitely not been something she was willing to reveal and with the White Fang effectively _being_ her past…it was difficult to really say anything about herself.

A prickling of guilt came with the thought that Blake had been so willing to reveal her past to a person she had only known for two days. Granted that person had been a faunus just like her but…

"When I _did_ learn about you and the White Fang," Yang continued, "I was happy." Quickly understanding how badly that sentence could be taken she quickly corrected, "Happy as in to have learned more about you, not the White Fang! They're terrible today certainly! When the whole thing between you and Weiss was settled, when you started to wear your bow less and less, I started to think that you were finally showing us the real you."

Blake lowered her book, her head turning to better look at her partner.

"What I'm trying to say…" Yang trailed off, clearly trying to think of how to best describe her feelings. "Today had been the most comfortable I've been with you. I always like to make fun of Ruby or Weiss but never you. Quite frankly, you kind of intimidated me. I do admit to taking it a bit too far today but these pranks were really just my way of saying…well I hate to sound so cheesy but that's just my way of saying I like you."

It _did_ sound rather cheesy…if also nice. When the two of them met in the company of the pair of Ursa they collectively slain, Blake had been willing to partner up with someone who had demonstrated competent skill. Deep down though, she had always been hesitant to let that partnership become more personal what with her heritage and past that she was desperately trying to keep under wraps – both figuratively and literally. That bond that Yang had with Ruby and what Ruby was developing with Weiss was something she had secretly desired but was afraid to establish. Funny thing was that if there was one thing that she learned it was that these bonds were a two-way street; she needed to give some of herself in return to better construct it.

Hesitantly, Blake finally spoke with, "I'm…happy too." She saw Yang perk up. "I guess I never did try to make it easy for you to get to know me and I apologize for that. I'm happy to be your partner, your friend, and you wouldn't believe how wonderful it is for me to be accepted by you. I promise that from now on I'll be more open with you as long as you promise to ease up on the pranks."

The last bit was reinforced with slightly lowered brows that had Yang's shoulders tensing. They relaxed when the corners of Blake's mouth quirked upwards in a small smile before she returned her attention to her book.

Deciding that they were past hostilities, Yang daringly hopped upon Blake's bed, landing next to the faunus. Blake said nothing to dissuade her from the closeness. She was actually enjoying the close proximity of her partner; of the fact that she was allowing someone to be so near to her, free of suspicion.

Today was becoming rather full of hard lessons for Blake.

"You know…" Yang leaned over, draping an arm over Blake's shoulders. The faunus didn't think anything of it as she was well aware that Yang and her younger sister tended to be more open with affection.

That was until she felt a hand moving towards the top of her head.

"If there's one thing I can say about my pranks," the blonde continued, her tone sounding rather ominous all of a sudden, "it's that they've allowed me to learn a bit more about you what with your love of tuna and your eternal rivalry with a laser pointer among other things. I wonder…"

"Yang…" Blake warned.

"…what else I can learn today."

"Don- _oh_!"

The objection that Blake wished to verbalize was cut off as soon as Yang's fingers reached her left ear. Focusing right at the base, the brawler's nails scratched at the appendage. A rather sensitive appendage at that considering Blake's reaction, the faunus stiffening at the initial contact before relaxing.

Fighting back was a pointless effort. As soon as Yang's other hand joined at scratching her ears, Blake was helpless.

Curse her faunus instincts. It didn't help that it had been a long, long time since anyone touched her like this. She could stand against raging insults that bigoted humans tossed at her with the stones during a White Fang-led protest until she was bleeding and in tears but the gentle scratching behind two of her most delicate spots turned her into pudding.

Her arms dropped to her sides, completely limp with her book slipping through her grasp, forgotten. Purring contently, Blake rolled her head around lazily to best direct the fingertips to where she desired them most.

"I see that you like this." Having maneuvered her head closer, Yang's lips were at Blake's right ear which turned towards the sound of her voice. "Now let's see if I can learn where you like it the most. How about…here?"

The hand that held that same ear moved up, Yang's finger stroking along the fur before a thumb and forefinger took the very tip of the cat ear and rubbed it gently between them. That and Yang's warm breath at her ear caused a pleasant shiver to crawl down Blake's spine. Cheering quietly at the action, her blonde partner moved her other hand so that she could do the same to the tip of her left ear while the hand at her right let go so it could continually stroke along the back.

The ministrations kept Blake's mind clouded in a pleasure-induced haze almost similar to the catnip. Somewhere along the way, the faunus allowed herself to drop so that she was laying on Yang's lap. The new position made it easier for her partner to continue with her experimentations. One hand went down to Blake's middle.

"How about a tummy rub?"

"Mmmm…that's usually for dogs, Yang," Blake groaned.

"Oh, right."

"…That didn't mean that you should stop."

Chuckling good-naturedly, Yang's nails raked along the flesh of Blake's stomach where her white undershirt left the pale skin exposed. Instinctively, Blake rolled around in Yang's lap in order to give her better access to it.

"Don't be fooled," Blake murmured. "You have no idea how much I hate you right now. _No idea_."

"So that's what you're doing. Okay, you can just lay there and keep hating me. I'll just do… _this_!"

The tweaking of her ears caused Blake to squeak in delight.

Time meant nothing to the faunus right now. All that she was focused on was the scratching at her belly and the stroking of her ears. She could be here for the next hour and she wouldn't even know it with her senses warped as they were. Yang's touch was all that mattered to her.

Sadly, time did continue to tick away and all good things had to come to an end. Just as suspected, when Yang did stop it was too soon for Blake's tastes. Nonetheless, the faunus opened her eyes which she didn't remember closing in bliss to look up at her partner. Yang was not looking down at her; rather, she was looking elsewhere. Curiosity had Blake turning to see what her partner was looking at.

Standing within the open door of the dorm was Velvet who had frozen with one foot in the room while the other remained out in the hall. Wide brown eyes took in the scene before her, looking down at Blake before flicking upwards to take in Yang.

Staring back at her fellow faunus, Blake wondered how Velvet managed to get in as she didn't have a key to the room. That was when she remembered that she assured the long-eared girl that she would leave the door unlocked for her and she could just walk in whenever she arrived. Woops.

_Tick…tick…tick_. It would seem like the three girls were frozen in time but the ticking of a nearby clock argued against that theory. Their reactions were just delayed.

Velvet reacted first, blood rushing to her face. Understanding that she just walked into a private moment, the girl slowly backed away while stuttering, "S-s-sorry I didn't knock." Then she whirled around, bolting right out the door. "E-excuse me!"

"Velvet, wait!"

Blake had to scramble out of Yang's lap then her bed before she could give chase. Luckily her speed allowed her to zoom right out the door – which Velvet didn't even close during her retreat, saving her more time – and catch the rabbit faunus before she could get far. Streaking past Velvet, Blake came to a stop in front of her, her arms stretching out to block her from going anywhere further.

With an "Eek!", Velvet skidded to a halt to look at Blake in astonishment. Her head whirled back around to Team RWBY's dorm, then to Blake, then repeating the process, a finger pointing to each point as she attempted to figure out how Blake had gotten from one to the other so fast.

"I can explain!" Not wanting Velvet to take off again, Blake extended her palms towards her, shaking them frantically in a visible sign for the faunus to wait.

"T-t-there's no need for that!" Velvet stuttered. Her cheeks a deep red, the girl stared off to the side, unable to look at Blake in the eye. Her long rabbit ears flopped forward in embarrassment. "W-w-what you two d-do in there is none of my business! I'll forget everything I saw, I swear!"

"No, it's not what you think!" Blake insisted, mentally cursing Yang all the while. She was so going to get her back for this. "If you just give me a moment…" She trailed off, eyes widening in horror.

Behind Velvet came the unmistakable silhouette of her blonde partner which towered over the trembling bunny. For Blake, the look on Yang's face and how her hands were raised with fingers curled towards Velvet was like a lion that was ready to bring down this unlucky prey.

_Yang, don't!_ Blake silently pleaded. Pranking her was one thing but with the shy, insecure Velvet, she was afraid that Yang was only going to traumatize the poor girl. Then all this work would be for naught with Velvet only going to end up distrusting humans even more.

With her gaze averted, Velvet didn't know the danger that was creeping up right behind her. It was when Blake's silence continued that she looked up at the cat faunus. The look she saw caused her danger sense to tingle, ears pointing straight up while her eyes went wide. She started to turn her head.

Too late. Yang grabbed her by the ears.

"EEEEEEEEEEEE-…mmmmmm…" Eyes bulging out of her head, Velvet nearly jumped towards the ceiling, mouth opening in a scream while she did so. However, that scream died down to a moan.

The look on Velvet's face must've been exactly like the one that Blake had when Yang had done it to her. Those brown eyes shrunk, lids lowering halfway. Her mouth remained open but instead of a scream the bunny girl groaned appreciatively. Her head lolled to one side.

"There there, Velvet," Yang cooed. "It's alright. Isn't this alright?"

"Mmmm…yeeesss," Velvet responded after some hesitation.

Blake could only watch as her partner pacified the faunus. Having taken those two brown ears into her grip, Yang decided to administer the same will-sapping stroking that brought her down. At first she started out as she did before, her fingers scratching at the base of Velvet's rabbit ears. Then she gently wrapped them around those long appendages and started stroking up and down, her thumbs rubbing the back of them as she did so.

"Good girl." Yang's left hand disappeared only to reappear with a leaf of lettuce. She held it towards Velvet's mouth. "How about some fresh veggies?"

" _Nyum nyum nyum_ ," was Velvet's reply, taking the leaf into her mouth before nibbling on it like…well, like a bunny.

"Now how about we head back to the dorm? You don't want to end up failing your exams, do you?"

"…Don't wanna…"

Blake was pretty sure Velvet meant not wanting to fail because after some gentle tugging on Yang's part, the faunus let herself be led back to the dorm, looking like she was floating as Yang kept up her massage.

Deciding that she would show Yang some leniency when she got back at her, Blake shook her head in exasperation before following after the two.

* * *

Considering all the fun she had yesterday, Yang was blessed with a deep, dreamless sleep that left her rejuvenated upon waking. Yawning, the blonde stretched upon her bed.

She noticed that something was wrong as soon as her brain started working. Shaking off the lingering effects of slumber, it noted that the bed that she was laying on was really _not_ her bed. Instead of the soft, yielding mass of springs and cotton was something cold and hard that made her back painfully stiff. An exploratory shift identified it as wood.

This definitely wasn't her bed. Yang opened her eyes to look at what she was laid on.

A bench. A wooden bench that held her three feet above the floor. She looked up.

A tall upright frame extended at least three meters up. At the tippy top hovered a blade.

This was a guillotine. Yang had no idea why there was a guillotine here or why she was laying in it but if someone had been expecting to cut off her head they had done a poor job. For starters, her head was not secured so that her neck was positioned beneath the hanging blade. In fact, she was not secured at all. What had been pulled through the lunette instead was…

The horrified understanding came just as the blade was released.

Yang rolled off the bench and yanked at her hair at the same time. With not a moment to spare, she managed to pull her hair out from under the descending blade before it impacted and took off her entire mane.

Upon landing on the stone floor, Yang wrapped her long hair around her body, delicately petting her locks while mentally counting to make sure every single strand yet remained. Relieved that they were all there, Yang switched priorities to locate the culprit. Her lilac eyes switching to its angry red coloring that promised slow, painful vengeance, Yang looked left and right but found no sign.

It didn't matter; she knew who was responsible for this.

"Blake!" she screamed. "That wasn't funny!"

Even if she didn't possess enhanced hearing, she could barely make out the cackle that echoed a safe distance away from the angry brawler.

To comfort both the readers and Yang, when she took the time to examine the guillotine she would find that the blade was a rubber fake that never had the capability to shear off her hair. But the act did let everyone involved know that Blake had also learned just how to deal with her partner.


End file.
